Juneteenth Turns Into Federal Holiday Celebrating Cease Of Slavery In US

 

The US will formally recognize Juneteenth, which commemorates the stop of slavery in America, as a federal holiday after Joe Biden signed a bill into regulation on Thursday.

At a jubilant White House ceremony, the president emphasised the need for the US to reckon with its history, even when that records is shameful.

“Great nations don’t skip their most painful moments,” Biden said, before he set up what will be known as Juneteenth National Independence Day. “Great nations don’t walk away. We come to terms with the errors we made. And remembering these moments, we commence to heal and develop stronger.”

Just before signing the bill, Biden added: “I’ve only been president for several months, but I assume this will go down for me as one of the biggest honors I will have had as president.”

Kamala Harris, additionally in attendance, reflected on the historical nature of the day and the presence of Black lawmakers who labored diligently to advance the bill.

Harris, who is the first Black female to serve as vice-president, informed those at the White House for the bill signing: “We are gathered right here in a residence constructed by enslaved people. We are footsteps away from the place President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

“And we are right here to witness President Joe Biden set up Juneteenth as a national holiday. We have come far, and we have a long way to go, but today is a day of celebration.”

Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when information of the Emancipation Proclamation reached the people of Galveston, Texas, liberating slaves in the last revolt state. Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, but the proclamation wasn’t enforced in Galveston until federal soldiers read it out on 19 June 1865.

Black Americans are rejoicing at the move, but many say more is needed to tackle systemic racism.